Portable fire-escape



(No Model.)

H. T. FORBES 8v J. F. WELDON.

PORTABLE FIRE ESCAPE.

lvl/imam WITNESS/58:.

A TTOHIVEYS I-IILIARD T. FORBES AND JAMES F. IVELDON, OF IIALLSVILLE,MISSOURI.

PORTABLE FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,823, dated March30, 1897.

Application filed August 19,1896. Serial No. 603,260. (No model.)

To all whom, t muy concern.:

is a speciiication.

This invention relates generally to fire-escapes, and more particularlyto that class thereof known as portable friction fire-escapes.

The object of our invention is to provide an exceedingly' cheap andsimple construction of fire-escapes of the kind described which can becarried about in a valise or other suitable manner without occupying agreat deal of room and can be quickly and easily attached to any rigidobject within a room, dropped out of a window, and will permit a personto slowly descend upon a rope to the ground.

Another object of our invention is to provide a lire-.escape of the kindin which it will be absolutely impossible for the operator to fall, andanother object is to provide means whereby the friction can be increasedor decreased, as desired.

Vith these various objects in view our invention consists, essentially,of two blocks hinged together at one end and bound together bya suitablescrew device, said blocks being grooved to permit a rope to passtherethrough, a seat suspended from the said blocks, a baildependingfrom one of the blocks and through which seat straps pass,whereby the Weight of the body aids in holding the blocks in con tactwith the rope, and the bodystrap attached also Vto one of the blocks andadapted to hold the body in the proper position with relation to therope and friction device.

Our invention consists also in certain details of construction andnovelties of combination, all of which will be fully describedhereinafter and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forminga part of this specification, Figure 1 is a viewshowing our invention in use. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of theescape device ready for use. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section.Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4f 4f, Fig. 3.

In carrying out our invention we employ the blocks A and B, preferablyconstructed of wood, though they may be constructed of any suitablematerial. Attached to each side of the blocks A and B at the upper endare hinge-plates A and B', pivotally connected at their upper ends bymeans of a pin C, and mounted upon this pin O, between the hingeplates,is a pulley or drum D, around which the escape-rope E passes beforepassing between the blocks A and B, said blocks having longitudinalgrooves A2 and B2 in which the said rope ts in place between the blocks,said rope being held within the groove by means of the guide-staples F,secured in the face of the block A, the block B being recessed upon itsinner face to receive the said guide-staples.

The rope E has a suitable hook E' at its upper end for the purpose ofattaching the rope to any iiXed portion of the building or any rigidobject within the room. The rope, ai'- ter passing around the pulley andbetween the friction-blocks, passes centrally through the seat G, saidseat having stirrups G at each end, to which are attached the straps II,by means of which the seat is suspended from the friction-block B, saidstraps being attached at their upper ends to the eyes H', fixed upon theouter face of the block B.

A pendent bail I is attached to the lower end of the block A and has across-bar I', over which the straps H pass, as most clearly shown inFigs. 2 and 3, so that the weight of the person resting upon the seat Grwill tend to bind the lower ends of the friction-blocks A and B tightlytogether. For the purpose of securing the said blocks A and B in closeposition we employ a screw-bolt K, passing through the blocks A and B,the threaded end of the bolt projecting outward from the face of theblock B, and upon the said threaded end is placed a tension-nut L,provided with a crank-handle L within easy reach of the operator, sothat by turning the said crankhandle in one direction or the other thetension upon the friction-blocks can be increased or decreased, asdesired. In order to increase or decrease the friction upon the rope abodystrap M is attached to the block A about midway its length, saidstrap being adapted to pass around beneath the arms of the person andhold said person in the proper relative position upon the seat. Thebody-strap hl and the seat-straps H are both adjustable in order toaccommodate persons of diicrent sizes.

It will thus be seen that we provide an exceedingly cheap and simpleconstruction of ire-escape which can be placed in operation very easilyand quickly and will safely conduct a person to the ground in a steadyand gradual manner, and by means of the tension-regulator the speed ofdescent can be increased or decreased, as necessity may rcquire.

Having thus described our invention,what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. An improved portable lire-escape consisting of two friction-blockshinged together, a pulleyat their upper ends, aseat suspended from thelower end of one of the blocks, and a body-strap attached to the otherblock, the escape-rope passing between the blocks and means forincreasing or decreasing the friction upon the said rope, substantiallyas shown and described.

2. Ina fire-escape, the combination with the friction-blocks hingedtogether at their upper ends anda pulley at said hinged joint, of theseat suspended from the lower end of one of the blocks, the body-strapattached to the opposing block, the screuwbolt and tensionnut, saidtension-nut having a crank-handle and the escape-rope all arranged andadapted to operate substantially as shown and described.

3. In a portable re-escape,the combination with the frictionblocksgrooved longitudinally upon their inner faces and hinged together attheir upper ends, of the pulley arranged at said hinged joint, theescape-rope passing between the said blocks and resting in thelongitudinal grooves, the guide-staples fixed upon the inner face of oneof the blocks, the seat and straps for supporting the same, and thebody-strap, the threaded bolt passin g through the friction-blocks, thetension-nut arranged upon the end of said bolt and having a crank-handleadapted to operate substantially as shown and described.

4. In a portable iii'e-escape,the combination with the friction-blockshinged together and a pulley7 at their upper ends, of the escaperopepassing between the said frictioirbloeks and means for holding the saidblocks together and increasing or decreasing the friction thereof uponthe escape-ropc, the pendent bail attached to one block the strapsattached to the other block and passing through the said pendent bail,the seat carried at the end of said straps and the body-strap attachedto one of the blocks, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In a portable fire-escape,the combination Oi' the friction-blocksarranged together, a pulley at their upper ends, the inner faces of saidblocks being grooved longitudinally, one of said blocks carryingguide-staples upon its inner face, the opposite block having recesses inits inner face to receive the said guidestaples, the escape-rope havinga hook at its upper end, said escape-rope passing around the pulley andbetween the friction-blocks and resting in the longitudinal grooves, thethreaded bolt passing through the blocks, the tension-nut arranged uponthe end ol said bolt and having a crank-handle, the pendent bailattached to the lower end of one of the blocks, the seatstraps attachedto the lower end of the other block, and passing over the lower barofthe said pendent bail, and the seat carried at the lower ends of thcseatstraps, said seat having a central opening through which theescape-rope passes, sub

stantially as shown and described.

IIILIARD T. FORBES. JAMES F. W'ELDON.

Witnesses:

R. F. IIULETT, J. J. KENNEDY.

